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Then, as I hurried by as fast as I could go, the blacksmith, Wachter, who was there, with his apprentice, reading the bulletin, called after me, “Don’t go so fast, bub; you’ll get to your school in plenty of time!”.
I thought he was making fun of me, and reached M. Hamel’s little garden all out of breath.
Usually, when school began, there was a great bustle, which could be heard out in the street, the opening and closing of desks, lessons repeated in unison, very loud, with our hands over our ears to understand better, and the teacher’s great ruler rapping on the table. But now it was all so still! I had counted on the commotion to get to my desk without being seen; but, of course, that day everything had to be as quiet as Sunday morning. Through the window I saw my classmates, already in their places, and M. Hamel walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm. I had to open the door and go in before everybody. You can imagine how I blushed and how frightened I was.
But nothing happened. M. Hamel saw me and said very kindly, “Go to your place quickly, little Franz. We were beginning without you.”
Explanation:
The narrator then walked hurriedly towards the school. The blacksmith, named Wachter, who had come along with his apprentice to read the news, called out to the narrator from behind, telling him that he didn't need to rush because he had plenty of time to reach school.
After hearing that, the narrator thought that the blacksmith was making fun of him as he was already late for school. Since he had walked so quickly, he was out of breath when he arrived at the school's garden. The narrator then depicts the typical morning atmosphere at the school. Usually, when school begins, a lot of noise can be heard out in the street. The noises of desks being moved, teachings being repeated in chorus, and the teacher's great ruler striking on the table could all be heard as he walked down the street.
Everything, however, was out of the ordinary on that particular day. There was no such sound coming from the school, and it appeared that it was closed for the day, as it usually was on Sunday mornings. The narrator expected the noise to sneak into the class without being noticed, but this did not appear to be possible. As the classroom was quiet, the narrator couldn't execute his plan. The narrator then peered into his classroom and saw his friends seated and their teacher, M. Hamel, walking in with an iron ruler under his arm.
The narrator was ashamed of being late and worried about punishment because he had to enter the classroom in front of everyone. He was perplexed because M. Hamel said nothing and, on the contrary, he kindly told the narrator to go and sit in his place quickly. He also said he was about to begin the class without the narrator.
After hearing that, the narrator thought that the blacksmith was making fun of him as he was already late for school. Since he had walked so quickly, he was out of breath when he arrived at the school's garden. The narrator then depicts the typical morning atmosphere at the school. Usually, when school begins, a lot of noise can be heard out in the street. The noises of desks being moved, teachings being repeated in chorus, and the teacher's great ruler striking on the table could all be heard as he walked down the street.
Everything, however, was out of the ordinary on that particular day. There was no such sound coming from the school, and it appeared that it was closed for the day, as it usually was on Sunday mornings. The narrator expected the noise to sneak into the class without being noticed, but this did not appear to be possible. As the classroom was quiet, the narrator couldn't execute his plan. The narrator then peered into his classroom and saw his friends seated and their teacher, M. Hamel, walking in with an iron ruler under his arm.
The narrator was ashamed of being late and worried about punishment because he had to enter the classroom in front of everyone. He was perplexed because M. Hamel said nothing and, on the contrary, he kindly told the narrator to go and sit in his place quickly. He also said he was about to begin the class without the narrator.
Meaning of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Hurry | To move or do things more quickly than expected or to make someone do |
2 | Blacksmith | A person who makes and repairs iron objects and horseshoes |
3 | Apprentice | Someone who works for an employer for an agreed period to learn a new skill, often for a low wage |
4 | Frighten | To make someone feel fear |
5 | Unison | Acting or speaking together, or at the same time |
6 | Out of breath | Breathing with difficulty, panting, gasping |
7 | Rapping | Strike sharply with a ruler or similar implement several times against a hard surface |
8 | Commotion | A state of confused and noisy disturbance |
9 | Blush | To become red in the face, usually from embarrassment or shyness |
10 | Ruler | A narrow, flat object with straight edges you can use to draw straight lines and has markings used to measure |
Reference:
State Council of Educational Research and Training (2018). Term-1 English Standard-10. The Last Lesson - Alphonse Daudet (pp. 162-178). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
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